Health, I. ,. (2009). PTSD: A growing epidemic. Retrieved from National Institute of health: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/winter09/articles/winter09pg10-14.html…
Galea, Nandi, & Vlahov (2004) evaluated the studies of epidemiology of PTSD after disasters, that the following methodological issues must be considered: (1) the definition and assessment of exposure; (2) the comparability of PTSD assessments across studies; (3) the assessment of PTSD prevalence and incidence; and (4) the cross-disaster comparability of correlates and course.…
The traumatic experiences children face when endured as casualties of warfare is devastating this is exasperated by those children who are forced to actively participant as soldiers increasing their risks of physical and psychological repercussions. In addition, children from lower socio-economic environments have higher risk factors for development of post-stress symptoms such as depression, anxiety and behavioral concerns (Vindevogel, 2011).…
War is not glorious, nor is it merciful and with every generation of men who encounter the hardships of protecting our country, we also find that some of them are returning and suffering from reoccurring acts of violence and trauma they’ve ensued while being overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s become a debilitating and all too common disorder that is in dire need for the necessary aid before it manifests and becomes too late for anyone to help. It’s been an ongoing power struggle where the United States military and the Department of Veterans Affairs has not adequately diagnosed, treated, or supported their soldiers who suffer greatly from the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and the consequence that follow after fighting for a country that have proven to not return the favor.…
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is an evidence based treatment approach to assisting children and adolescents affected by various kinds and amounts of trauma. Research has shown time and time again that for children affected by trauma, lifelong problems can occur if the untreated trauma continues and can yield astonishing disruptive behaviors. There are a number of studies that have been conducted proving TF-CBT to be the most effective treatment approach for trauma victims’ and their families, especially children. The premise of this article is to both introduce and attempt to explain what TF-CBT is, review the literature that is currently available providing efficacy for effectiveness of TF-CBT for children and adolescents that…
Children who were affected by the hurricane also displayed signs of psychological effects. Post-traumatic stress has been worse for children which led to severe emotional disturbance, or SED. Post-traumatic stress disorder along with severe emotional disturbance is said to have led to behavioral and emotional issues that made it difficult for children to function within their families, at school, or in the community. This can often led to suicidal thoughts. This paper will focus on the mental and emotional effects that Hurricane Katrina had on the survivors of the deadly storm. It will highlight post-traumatic stress disorder, severe emotional disturbance and how these lead to depression as well as create behavioral and emotional issues not only in adults but also in children who may have felt the effects…
People most commonly diagnosed with PTSD include those in the military who have been exposed to war or similar traumatic events, adults and children who have been physically and/or sexually abused, victims of attacks such as those on September 11, 2001, and individuals in severe accidents or natural disasters such as a car crash, house fire, earthquake, hurricane, or tornado (Butcher, Mineka, and Hooley, 2013). While an individual who has experienced a traumatic event has the possibility of developing PTSD, it does not mean that they will. This paper will review three peer reviewed research studies on PTSD, examine the causes of PTSD according to the biopsychosocial model, and the best practices for treating PTSD.…
Throughout the course of history, soldiers exposed to the horrors of war have been emotionally traumatized by what they saw or did. The emotional damage could be extensive and often life altering to these warriors who saw first-hand what mankind was capable of during an armed conflict. It is only in the past few decades that healthcare professionals began to assist these men and women and focused on the issues surrounding what is now referred to as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).…
There is a lot that one needs to understand about prevention; especially if one is working in the healthcare field. It is important that all staff member of the healthcare; are trained on how to prevent illness from passing from a patients room.…
Childhood trauma, including abuse and neglect, is probably the single most important public health challenge in the United States, a challenge that has the potential to be largely resolved by appropnate prevention and intervention (van der Kolk, 2005). Trauma as a child can affect the child’s entire life unknowingly especially if they go untreated. However, this is often the case in today’s society. The results of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV), 2* Field Trial suggested that trauma has its most pervasive impact during the first decade of life and becomes more circumscribed (i.e., more like "pure" PTSD) with age (van der Kolk, 2005). Most psychologists agree that the DSM criterion does not effectively describe the trauma and the effects on the developing child. One of the problems the DSM criteria faces is the fact that the complex reaction is based strictly on military soldiers. As a result, the reactions of those involved in combat were likely significantly different from those of immature individuals whose exposure to traumatic stress was ongoing and related to family life (Courtois, 2004). Another difficulty facing clinicians during the assessment process of the child victim is the child’s inability to properly express their emotions. This may be due to their age or it can be the impact of the trauma.…
Statistics in children and teens revealed that up to more than 40% have endured at least one traumatic event. This resulted in the development of PTSD, which is up to 15% of girls and 6% of boys. This on average is 3%*6% of high school students in the United States. 30%-60% of children who have survived specific disasters have…
Dr. Sandro Galea, a Columbia University Epidemiologist, reinforced this, “Both [the Defense and Veterans Affairs] departments lack a coordinated, consistent, well-developed, evidence-based system of treatment for PTSD”. In general, the United States’ approach to PTSD care needs be reformed by implementing more programs, and requiring a higher standard of…
By incorporating the vast amount of research already completed about mitigating factors of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) into an ecological systems model, described by Bronfenbrenner (1979; Meyers 2008), an integrated approach to manage stress and trauma could reach affected populations better (van der Kolk, 1996). Psychological and physical disorders do not have to be present in order to feel the effects of adverse experiences (Astier et al., 2007). The way people cope with hardship depends on their ability to access meaningful help and what kinds of resources are on hand to return to a state of normalcy (van der Kolk, 1996; Weiestall, Huth, Knecht, Nandi, & Elbert, 2012). Depending on what kind of biological and environmental factors are involved, the level of care people might receive might be inadequate because of amateur diagnosis or ambivalence from care takers. Resiliency means different things to different people, what may constitute as being able to overcome adversity or difficulty is defined differently to each person based on their own…
Cognitive function is impacted in children who have experienced traumatic events. Traumatic events or stress may occur when children are unexpected faced with a “danger”. The trauma may be within the family, or outside of the family. However, traumatic situations tend to catch children off-guard and occur unexpectedly (Practice Notes, 2012).…
Throughout the past century, awareness and acceptance of PTSD has risen in militaries around the world. The disorder has evolved from being at its earliest stage, the Swiss disease, then the railway spine, in the nineteenth century; traumatic hysteria and traumatic neurasthenia, later on; shell shock, and during and post-World War II, combat fatigue. Not until the Vietnam War, was the term PTSD globally accepted and treated as a legitimate mental disorder. Today’s efforts in detection and early treatment of the disorder have come at the cost of much skepticism inflicted on many victims in the past.…